Thirty-four players competed in ten preliminary games with a mean duration of 6.4 game turns in 3.7 hours and 6.67 game turns, similar to 2002. Half ended in two-player alliance wins (one by Guild default victory). The other games comprised three 3-player alliance wins, one BG prediction win, and one stalemate.

This year, House Harkonnen and House Atreides led the list with six and five wins respectively. The Guild (very surprisingly to some!) came in next with four wins. The Emperor and BG, unlike last year, took a beating and recorded only two wins apiece. The Fremen held their perennial position as most difficult faction to play well, getting only one win.

The tournament was run essentially the same as last year except for the elimination of negative qualification points and a change in the rules for the Shield Wall entering as a 6th stronghold.

I again awarded my Best Faction plaques to the players who gave the best single-game performance with each faction during the preliminary heats, measured in terms of strongholds controlled per turn. Carl Walling received Best Atreides; Matt Fagan, Best Bene Gesserit; Phil Barcafer, Best Emperor; Jean-Francois Gagne, Best Fremen; Rob Barnes, Best Guild (second time!); and Joe Abrams, Best Harkonnen.

In the final game, Joe Abrams took the Atreides; Chris Bodkin, the BG; Joe Harrison, the Emperor; Jean-Francois Gagne, the Fremen; Glenn McMaster, the Guild; and Bill Dyer, the Harkonnen.

In turn 3 of the final, the Atreides jumped at the opportunity for a surprise solo win, foiled only by a major counterattack by the Emperor.

Turn 4 saw the Atreides ally with his nemesis the Emperor, and they wasted no time trying again for the win, but the other powers brought everything they had to bear, including a key traitor call by the Guild against the Emperor. It looked as if the Atreides would be gutted by the Harkonnen in two battles, until the two Great Houses were able to forge an agreement to share the strongholds and form a new alliance in turn 5.

In turn 8, House Harkonnen positioned his alliance for an opportunity to win by taking both Carthag and Arrakeen from the BG with a rare one-two traitor call. Turn 9 would be the last turn of the game due to a scheduled time limit, and all three 2-way alliances had a chance to win. Battle was furious, but in the end, each faction except the BG held exactly one stronghold, and Sietch
Tabr was destroyed by a lasegun/shield explosion. The six great powers had fought themselves to a stalemate.